But they seem to be pretty durable too, making a 100k-plus odometer reading something to be less fearful of than it once was. That said, noisy gearboxes are a potentially expensive hazard. One reason why these Minis wear well is that they are not your average supermini. This was the first premium supermini (Lancia’s Ypsilon is a city car, in case you’re about to finger-punch a keyboard), and the quality ran more than skin-deep.
Although BMW’s 2000 sale of Rover prompted a Viking-expunging rewrite of corporate history, development of the R50 Mini was largely a Rover-led project, to a BMW brief and with full-fat BMW funding. That allowed quality to penetrate to the core, from the super-stiff bodyshell to suspension that included BMW’s advanced Z-axle.
The Chrysler-sourced Tritec engine was less impressive, but it’s gratifyingly tough. More obviously striking was an interior furnished to standards far higher than you’d find aboard a Ford Fiesta or Renault Clio. And in rather startling style, too. The dashboard was dominated by an enormous speedometer that didn’t so much pay homage to the original ’59 Mini as prostrate itself before its memory in spasms of self-flagellation.
There were many more references besides, from the shape of the interior light to the toggle switches to the flashing light at the tip of the indicator stalk. The exterior was still more recognisably Mini, even if this reimagined economy car had swollen substantially without offering a lot more space inside.
The floating roof, the wheel-at-each corner stance, the short overhangs, vertical taillights, big headlights and trapezoidal grille all referenced the original, as did the faux chrome bumperettes and the cutline of the expensive clamshell bonnet.
And its just-so proportions are only highlighted by the ant-eater nose of an overhang disfiguring the current version, fine drive though that car is. All these things, and all those Chili, Salt and Pepper option varieties, made the R50 Mini hugely desirable then, and make it so now. It’s a car so much more interesting than a used Vauxhall Corsa or Volkswagen Polo. Expect it to outlive them.
This column first appeared as an email to subscribers in 2017.
